DIY: A Custom Coat Rack To Update The Entry Way

Our entryway is a bit of a non-event. It opens to a long, dark hallway, and it’s the go-to place for dumping shoes, jackets, bags and bike gear, so it has never been my favorite space. When we first moved in, I hung a little shelf and a row of hooks, but the hooks didn’t hold all our stuff very well, and I knew we could make it more efficient.

When my Dad was visiting, he helped me (or rather, I helped him) give it a face lift. We custom built two rows of coat hooks (sixteen hooks total, versus the original five) and a little shelf, so it’s much more efficient now, which means it’s also tidier and prettier.

I will admit upfront that I pretty much just followed direction on this one, so I can’t give you a step-by-step tutorial. It did involve some of this…

And this…

And a bit of this…

We chose plain nickle hooks to echo the door lock and handles (much as I’d have loved a mix of Anthropologie beauties, they just wouldn’t have worked in our space). I painted the wood using paint left over from the big boy room and our fireplace. My Dad thought I should have left the wood white, and I suppose it would look more built-in if it matched the door trim, but I still like it as-is.

When we were done, we had a much more efficient and organized space.

I also added a boot tray to coral what would otherwise be a big pile of shoes, and the ledge is now home to an oil painting.